SC sees higher passing rate for 2016 Bar exams

A higher passing rate for the 2016 Bar examinations is expected by the Supreme Court (SC) en banc.

According to a well-placed source of The Manila Times, SC Associate Justice and 2016 Bar examinations chairman Presbitero Velasco Jr. has projected the passing rate to be at least around 40 percent

The SC en banc has set a special en banc session on May 3.

The source said Velasco even wanted the 40 percent to go higher but added that would depend on the number of examinees who obtained a final average of 75 percent in all eight Bar subjects without any disqualification.

The SC en banc has the discretion to lower the passing grade upon the recommendation of the chairman of the Bar examinations.

The High Court has set on May 23, 2017 the oath-taking of the 2016 Bar passers at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City (Metro Manila).

A total of 6,831 law students had qualified to take the 2016 examinations, which were held at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila on four consecutive Sundays of November.

Last year’s examinations, the 115th edition, covered six subjects.

A student is deemed to have passed the examinations if he or she obtains an average of 75percent and without any grade in any subject lower than 50 percent.

There were 7,146 examinees in 2015 when the passing rate was 26.21 percent.

In the last 10 years, the highest passing rate was 31.95 percent in 2011 when 1,913 of 5,987 examinees made the grade. JOMAR CANLAS

2 Comments

Higher passing rates mean more lawyers. The effect is more liars on the list of members of the Bar. It is better to make the Bar exams as difficult as ever so less men and women will be able to be lawyers and the country will produce much better lawyers than before.

We don’t need more lawyers. most of them working in government make the simple job complicated. look why DOTC did not accomplish much during Pres. Noynoy Aquino’s term, because lawyers did not do anything but just to read and study.